Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1887-06-16
PHILADELPHIA and Washing

The American Society of Mechanical
Engineers opened it's annual session on
Tuesday evening The papers read
took wide range, and it is to be re-
GREETED that the newspapers find it i'm
possible to more than name the sub.
jects. During the week the subjects
discussed were worthy Of the attention
of tho entire nation, for they touched
upon the welfare and power Of the ma
ton.
The different ways in which the rules
of It department can be construed by
different heads Of bureaus is we'll ex-
emplifed in the following, which occur.
ed quite recently: A $l,40O clerk,
who was appointed to the Land Office
from Mich gan nine years ago, resigned
his office in May to 60 into business
He applied for thirty days leave of alb
sence in order to settle up his affairs,
that having been the usual amount al
lowed in such cases. Commissioner
Sparks, however told him that since it
was only five months from the COM
mencement Of the year he was only en-
titled to twelve days leave at the rate
of two.and-onc half days for every
month, but that if stayed until Decem-
Der he would be entitled to thirty days.
The clerk took his twelve days and on
ly got paid for that period. A few days
afterwards party from North Carolina
who was appointed to 5000 position
in the Pension Office on the first OF
June, was granted thirty days leave on
the Bird INST. to 90 to his home and at
tend to some personal business there
At the Government Printing Office
Saturday, at the close Of work, about
forty employees were discharged and one
hundred were furloughed. Public
Printer Benedict said in reference to the
discharges and furloughs: "For the
present quarter had in round numbers
SOL 900 to carry on the public print.
ing. Of that sum l have left for the
month Of June, the last month Of the
quarter, only $4,000. So that in
April and in May, in each month, the
expenses were about $l6S,000 Now
Of the 1854, 900 remaining, at least Sl5
900 or 100000 will have to be used fol
material, so that will have not exceed.
ing 100000 for labor. Now in order
to keep the expenses within the limit
| have to reduce. These figures explain
the reduction. For this month and
next month, too, Will have to furlougl
more people,
The President and Mrs. Cleveland
still remain in the Adirondack woods
where the President, if the catch of fish
may not always come up to his wishes
can find in perfection that immunity
from the public gaze so dear to his
heart.
The count of the cash in the Treasury
prior to the transfer Of the office oil
Treasurer from Mr.. Jordan to Mr.
James W. Hyatt, of Norwalk Conn. has
begun and will continue indefinitely
The National Bank Notes, the Lega
Tenders, and silver Certificates, were
counted in two days, but when 1t Comes
to silver dollars piled stack upon stack
in the vaults it is another matter. |
the men who succeeded in forcing the
making of law to purchase two mil.
lion of silver bullion month $500
600 standard silver dollars) could wit
ness this count, they might probably
realize the enormity of their oticnse
Each thousand dollars weigh sixty
pounds, and is tied in IL separate bag
The bags are passed one by one dowr
line of from eight to twenty men ac-
cording to the distance to be traverseu
fl ON one vault to another, each bag is
weighed in the presence of committee
and piled up again in vaults that have
to be braced up by strong beams on the
outside to prevent the silver from burst
ing the walls. Every available space
in the Treasury is now occupied by
these bags of metal, and some idea Of
magnitude of the subject may be reach
ed and brought nearer practicable
conception, when it is understood that
this store is added to each month by
fifteen thousand pounds of silver in five
thousand bags. Where will it end ?
When will it stop: Washington will
become second Pompeii, and be bur
led, not in ashes, but in silver.
The tleeting character of Washington
life was most sadly exempliAed the 9TH
er day, when it was desired to give Sir
Edward Thornton, the former minister
from great Britain to the United States,